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<br />000823 <br /> <br />Once these rates were established an 8mm film loop of <br />the Limon radar scope was projected over an offical <br />National Weather Service radar map overlay for the Limon <br />radar site. The Wetzel Creek Basin was located on the map <br />and the radar images were projected over the basin's <br />outline. The basin was separated into three roughly equal <br />areas called the north, central and south basins and <br />rainfall calculated by 5-minute intervals for the duration <br />of each radar echo over the basin, Table 1 shows. the <br />results of this methodology with both radar and rainfall <br />observations listed by portion of the basin for 5-minute <br />intervals from 1520MDT(3:20PM) until 1845MDT(6:45PM). <br /> <br />THUNDERSTORM CHARACTERISTICS AND RAINFALL <br /> <br />The Wetzel Creek thunderstorm complex was actually <br />composed of three thunderstorms that merged over the basin <br />into one complex. Initial storm development took place over <br />Byers in Arapahoe County to the east and near Wiggins in <br />Morgan County. The Byers storm moved eastward over the <br />southern half of the basin between 1520 - 1540MDT and <br />produced about 2.00 inches of rainfall before moving off to <br />the east. The Wiggins storm developed into a multi-cell <br />storm that headed south-southeast towards Wetzel Creek <br />about 1500 - l600MDT. This storm split into a super cell <br />that moved almost due east and the Wetzel Creek super cell <br />that moved due south about l545-l600MDT. <br /> <br />At this point the Wetzel Creek storm moved over the <br />north basin of Wetzel Creek and became nearly stationary in <br />intensity for the next hour. The storm was not static in <br />its development as an echo cell-train effect was noted on <br />the storm's south side. In effect new storm cells reformed <br />right over the north end of the basin three times. Each new <br />cell produced a "front-end dumper" high intensity 10-20 <br />minute rainfall burst. Additionally another large cell <br />formed about 1545MDT just west of the central and south <br />basin areas and moved over those areas as merged into "he <br />parent storm. This complex remained locked over the basin <br />until about 1715HDT on the north end and about 1800HDT on <br />the south end. (See Figure 2). <br /> <br />A second though weaker storm crossed the Wetzel Creek <br />between 1815 - 1845MDT across the central and south basins. <br />This rainfall was of lesser intensity and duration from the <br />earlier s"orm but may have aggravated the runoff situation. <br />By 1845MDT rainfall and thunderstorm activity ended over <br />Wetzel Creek. <br />